How useful is Freudian and/or Lacanian psychoanalytic theory to art - Coursework Example

Chaya Ranaweera 16 April 2008 How useful is Freudian psychoanalytic theory to art? Reference Paintings: Timeless Reality – Prabha Shah Ritual – Keith Garrow One of Freuds most important contributions to the study of the psyche, the theory of repression, goes something like this: much of what lies in the unconscious mind has been put there by consciousness, which acts as a censor, driving underground unconscious or conscious thoughts or instincts that it deems unacceptable. Censored materials often involve infantile sexual desires, Freud postulated. Repressed to an unconscious state, they emerge only in disguised forms: in dreams, in language (so-called Freudian slips), in creative activity that may produce art (including literature), and in neurotic behavior.(psychcrit.htm) Psychoanalytic theory is based primarily and most importantly on an individual’s unconscious. Creative activity (literature, painting, sculpture etc) being a crucial form of bringing out the unconscious, the psychoanalytic theory I believe plays an important role in not only in the viewer seeing and understanding the work of art more deeply but also in the artist expressing himself within and through his art. In this context, let us look at the painting, ‘Ritual’ by Keith Garrow. Having been influenced by the American Abstract Expressionists, Keith Garrows approach to his art is that it is primarily a means of self expression.  The expressive process of creating each painting is as important to the artist as the finished artwork.(kiethgarrow.com) In his self expression, not only the artist’s conscious thoughts and wishes but also that which is repressed and hidden in the unconscious is depicted in the painting. In knowing and understanding psychoanalytic theory, the artist is able to explore his repressed wishes through his art. The shapes that form when he lets his mind flow through his brush, the colours he is compelled to use all become an intimate exploration and expression of the artist’s inner mind. The expressive journey the artist takes in creating the painting becomes far more meaningful when taken with the awareness of the psychoanalytic theory. In the ‘Ritual’, Keith Garrow uses colours which are vibrant and dominant together with colours which are pale and submissive, at times complimenting each other and at times in contrast and conflict. For the artist who went through the process of creating and completing the work of art, to view this finished product in all the glory of shape and colour, gives an insight into the unconscious realms of his own mind. In Prabah Shah’s painting ‘Timeless Reality’, also contemporary but of a completely different style, we recognize the same journey of self expression through her work of art. As The day-dreamer ignores reality in his dream and gives full rein to the pleasure principle in evolving wishful fantasies. Similarly, the artist creates a world of fantasy in which he can full fill his unconscious wishes. But he differs from the dreamer in one significant aspect - he is able to find a way back to reality in his creation, and in that way his achievement resembles childrens play, where the external world is molded to certain desires.(Psychomedia). The artists follows the path of free association through the creation of the artwork, giving free reign to the mind and it’s wonderings, culminating in the completion of a personal master piece of the artist’s conscious and unconscious desires intertwined in form and colour. Freud writes that art brings about a reconciliation of the two principles [pleasure and reality] in a peculiar way. An artist is originally a man who turns away from reality because he cannot come to terms with the renunciation of instinctual satisfaction which it at first demands, and who allows his erotic and ambitious wishes full play in the life of fantasy. He finds the way back to reality, however, from this world of fantasy by making use of his special gifts to mould his fantasies into truths of a new kind, which are valued by men as precious reflections of reality. Thus in a certain fashion he actually becomes the hero, the king, the creator, or the favourite he desired to be, without following the long, roundabout path of making real alterations in the external world.(qtd. In Psychomedia) As useful as the psychoanalytic theory is for the artist in self expression and the exploration of ones inner desires, it is of as much use to the viewer and/or the analyst. If, by understanding human psychology according to Freud, we can appreciate literature/art on a new level, then we should acquaint ourselves with his insights.(psychrit.htm) The strange, ambiguous forms of an abstract painting would suggest different things to different people. For example the predominant brown form depicted in the ‘Ritual’ would be seen by one person as a man with out stretched or upraised arms in an aggressive position, while someone else would see it as a harmless tree. The bright orange form would be seen as a snake by one and a mermaid by another. These interpretations would be a direct projection of the viewer’s subconscious. What draws us as viewers to an art is the secret expression of what we desire to see.(qtd. In Psycrit.htm) A viewer with repressed feelings of claustrophobia in their life would see an infinite, never ending space in the cloudy haze of ‘Timeless Reality’, just beyond the boundaries of an encompassing wall, which the viewer would identify in the clearly defined and detailed columns or mural of the painting. Another would see shadowy forms emerging and disappearing in the cloudy haze which would represent the consciousness just beyond their awareness, while the clearly defined area of the painting would represent their logical consciousness and understanding of their present life situation. Being aware of psychoanalytic insights would enable a viewer to analyze ones subconscious and repressed desires through their own interpretation of a work of art. The viewer could follow the object relational theory of one’s ego-self existing in relation to other objects which may be internal or external. In the viewing and appreciation of a work of art the viewer could explore his internalized self through his interpretation of the visual images seen in the art. Discussed above is the psychoanalytic theory in relation to the artist and the viewer. It is also important and essential to explore the theory in relation to the analyst. In the early 1900’s Freud developed a theory called ‘pathography’ - the viewing of art as a privileged form of neurosis where the analyst-critic explores the artwork in order to understand and unearth the vicissitudes of the creators psychological motivations.(Psychomedia) As an analyst would work through with a client with free association of mind through speech to analyze the workings of the inner mind, in relation to a work of art, the analyst would study the client through the art itself. Freuds approach centres on the experience of the individual artist, and like a detective, reconstructs his subjects past, discovering possible complexes, repressions, and neuroses. The artist is treated as a patient and his products are analysed in terms of these psychological considerations. The artwork is seen as a means of giving expression to, and/or dealing with, various psychic pressures. The pathographer manifests the same qualities as the so-called objective analyst who is able to look at the artist and his work as if he were conducting an analysis - but with the significant absence of a patient who can speak for himself. It is assumed that the artwork will shed light on the artists inner conflicts, repressed anxieties, usually of an infantile nature.(Psychomedia) How then could the two paintings in reference be interpreted in a psychoanalytic sense. In ‘Timeless Reality’, Prabha Shah combines soft round shapes in clear definition together with ninety degree symmetry and haze. This could represent a conflict within her subconscious. In the midst of the subdued colouring of the entire painting, there is a bright orange strip that jumps out of the painting to catch the viewer’s attention. Is this a projection of a repressed feeling of threat or aggression. Keith Garrow in the ‘Ritual’, has forms of bright colour right in the center of his painting. Is this a projection of an unconscious core of aggression in the center of his being. The theory of pathography looks only at the work of art in analyzing the artist. The external world, as depicted in visual art, or described in poetry, is seen firstly as a projection of the artists state of mind - an assumption that the artwork is essentially an externalization of the artists inner state. The relevant question asked by the pathographer is, what underlying feelings, psychic states, conflicts or desires (possibly disguised) are being expressed? (Psychomedia) Through these discussions we realize that the psychoanalytic theory is and has been of great use to the creation, interpretation and understanding of art and the artist. Even with this realization, Freud himself has expressed a certain ambivalence about the capacity of psychoanalysis to uncover completely an artist’s inner being. In a certain journal he writes; What Psychoanalysis was able to do was to take inter-relations between the impressions of the artists life, his chance experiences, and his works and from them construct his [mental] constitution and the instinctual impulses at work in it - that is to say, that part of him he shared with all men. (qtd. In Psychomedia) In conclusion one must observe that though the psychoanalytic approach has been criticized on many counts, its value lies not in the restructuring of the artists inner life, but in the uncovering of the fantasies expressed by the artwork itself. Work Cited Golver, Nicola. Psychoanalytic Aesthetics: The British School. Freud’s Theory of Art and Creativity. Author not specified. What is Psychoanalytic Criticism? Garrow, Keith. Ritual. Painting Shah, Prabha. Timeless Reality. Painting Read More